When Maalik Murphy announced that he was packing up and traveling across the country to play for Oregon State it caused a stir in the most unlikely of places — Bourbon Country.
The various NIL collectives that fuel Kentucky athletics thought they had a good shot at landing the blue-chip transfer quarterback. Murphy, 6-foot-5, suited up at Duke last season, where he threw 26 touchdown passes. He had a pleasant visit to the SEC campus in Lexington, Ky., and the school’s collectives that spoke with Murphy’s family were dangling a seven-figure offer.
“We were mostly worried about Auburn,” said a source involved with Murphy’s recruitment at Kentucky.
Oregon State didn’t come out of left field, exactly. The Beavers were among the runners-up for Murphy when he went to Duke. He was familiar with several OSU coaches and liked the campus, but in today’s world — money talks.
Oregon State’s NIL deal with Murphy: $1.5 million in cash.